


No Other Choice

by 72HoursMassacre



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, POV Multiple, Spoilers up to Marley arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/72HoursMassacre/pseuds/72HoursMassacre
Summary: There's nothing of military value to be found here. I've included the last details for the plan in the main letter. I request that this be read exclusively by Armin Arlert.
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman & Armin Arlert
Comments: 4
Kudos: 97





	No Other Choice

"This is for you."

Normally, it's nothing short of enjoyable to suprise and confuse people who seem to always have a good understanding of any situation.

Weirdly enough, there's nothing satisfying about it this time.

"For _me_?"

It takes a few more seconds for him to _realise_ , than they'd expect. Maybe because he's exhausted - at least he _looks_ exhausted. But Armin doesn't have any living family outside the 104th as far as they know; there's not a lot of people who could be sending him a letter at this specific period of time. And if it was just another letter of information about Eren's plan for Liberio, they would wait until the morning to gather the unit and discuss the new developments as per usual, and not knock on his door this late at night.

It's certainly not the first time they've seen the light in someone's eyes shine like ten stars for a quarter of a second and then immediately disappear with no trace upon _realising_. But, it certainly is the first time they find themselves doubting that an envelope cannot catch on fire from the hatred in one's glare alone.

This paper could... change everything.

"Armin, I... trust your judgement. I know... you have Paradis' best interest in mind." 

Whether it's a warning, a threat, neither or both - honestly, they can't tell themselves, it just came out of their mouth before they could think it over - Armin will surely interpret it as such. To even question his priorities on top of all the burden they've all thrown on him ever since his revival? He's done nothing to deserve this.

But it's _Eren_.

 _Eren_ , and all this name entails.

Armin will forgive these second thoughts.

"Of course, Commander. Thank you for... letting me read this." 

_No_. Now they get it. It's not a warning or a threat, but a subconscious fear, or... a _wish_ -

"...Get some sleep afterwards, ok?"

\- that the next Commander of the Survey Corps would not forsake the whole island for the sake of one person.

* * *

The lock is most definitely broken - unimportant. Armin can come up with some lie to get her out of unnecessary trouble later. 

With a loud sound like that coming from his room, was she so wrong to assume he might be in danger? If she was one second too late, it might have been _too late_. She couldn't afford to worry about the details. 

Looking at the state of the room - upturned table and chairs, books, papers, pens scattered around the floor, something burning in an ashtray on the bedside table, broken glass in a pool of some liquid by the wall on her right (must have been the source of the noise she heard, he probably threw the bottle against the wall) - it becomes clear that right now Armin is in no danger. Right now, _others are in danger because of Armin._

She only knows of one reason, one _person_ , that could make Armin react like this. 

What happened? _Is Eren alright?_ What did he do? Are there any news from him? _Is he alright?_

.

.

What should she say? Words are not her thing, words are Armin's. Unlike him, she's never really known the right thing to say. 

All she can do is sit right next to him, where he sits on his bed with his hands hiding his face, put her arms around him and her head on his shoulder and hope he understands _he's not alone._

And that's the only truth in the world as of late: they're in this _together_ until the very end. As it was always supposed to be.

Some tension seems to leave his body - that's a good sign at least. 

"Mikasa..."

If only Armin would cry. 

Eyes like Armin's are not meant to cry. Eyes like Armin's are meant to shine enough to _revive the dead_. Still, tears are better, way better. She'd take tears anytime, over this _emptiness_.

"Where did I fail this time? What did I do wrong?"

It's ok. She will cry for both of them. 

"It doesn't matter what we did. What matters is what we do now. What matters, is that we keep moving forward."

* * *

The weird stares are of course expected. He was particularly vocal against this course of action till three days ago. 

But there always comes a time one is forced to face reality.

In reality, not everything can be solved through dialogue, because not everyone in the world is willing to sit around a table and listen to why the _Devils of Paradis_ aren't really _Devils_ , unlike what they've been taught for centuries. In reality, unless they take some sort of _desicive_ action, they will all be dead before the end of the year. 

For anyone but the Commander to understand the... changes in his stance, he shouldn't need more of an explanation than him finally realising he was being his typical _naive_ self - the only undisputed truth. 

(As for Hange, well, as the only one aware of that letter, it's already futile to try to persuade them, said changes are completely unrelated to it, whether that's true or not.)

Eren's course of action is _not_ the best course of action. _Far from it._

Even if they destroy one big Marleyan city, and try to buy the island some time by showing off their power, it doesn't necessarily mean Marley, no, _the whole world_ , won't try to attack them soon afterwards and force them to use the Rumbling. What's only certain, is that they're about to verify that every fear the world has about them is totally justified, to nullify every chance at avoiding war, to lose some lives without clear reason and to turn themselves into the same monsters they hated for so long. 

Eren will do it. Despite the odds or their own decision, he will do it. There must be a lot of things he knows but won't _fucking_ tell them.

Why would they trust him?

But the island is already involved. Whether he acts on his own and most likely fails - as strong as they are, how do he and Zeke plan on taking four Shifters and the Marleyan army on their own and get out alive? - or they join him and get this thing done, Paradis as a whole will have to deal with the consequences.

_He is forcing them to act._

He's giving them no more time. Well, maybe they really don't have any time left either way.

What else could they do but help him?

_I wonder how it would... feel to see those places in person._

They have come up with no better plan.

_I want to experience the ocean like it's the first time._

They have no choice but war. 

... _we can explore the world as much as you want._

They really have -

"With all that said, it's time to make a decision. Those _in favour_ of the attack on Liberio, raise your hands."

_Do you still dream of seeing all those places with me?_

\- no other choice.

* * *

_There's nothing of military value to be found here. I've included the last details for the plan in the main letter. I request that this be read exclusively by Armin Arlert._

  
_Armin,_

_I have no way to know if you'll read this personally as intended or if I'm speaking to an audience, but so be it. Whoever, even you in all honesty, expects anything of... worth in this, is about to be severely disappointed._

_I just felt like I had to let you know. There's a library at the center of Liberio's internment. It has a surprisingly rich collection of books, considering it's used mostly by Eldians. Zeke was able to get me in a couple of times, in case I find something to kill time at the dead hours in the hospital. I found a copy of your grandpa's book - the one about the outside world that we used to read as kids. It seems to have been the first volume of some old series of Encyclopedias first published about 90 years ago in Hizuru and then translated and available around the world. Someone from your grandpa's family must have carried it from Marley when the 145th King escaped to Paradis and imprisoned those Eldians behind the Walls. That seems like the most reasonable explanation to me, but... I still can't explain how your family was able to keep it a secret from the government for so many years. However, I think I have a vague idea_ why _they would willingly put their lives in such risk - if they were anything like you, that is. Maybe that inexhaustible inquisitiveness runs in your blood. Maybe, they were dreamers, just like you._

 _I read it again, two or three times. I've read the other two volumes and two other similar books, as well. Somehow, all those details about those unknown places and animals didn't feel as exhilarating as they did back then when you'd read about them to us. Still, I read about some peculiar places that weren't in your book. Like the_ Uyuni _, some sort of huge field covered by polygonal patterns of salt, believed to be the result of evaporated prehistoric lakes. Rain_ _can turn it into a lake extending as far as the eye can see, so shallow it barely reaches a man's ankle. The sky reflects on its water so that it looks like there's no boundary between sky and earth. Or the_ Northern Lights _, something like... flickering colors in the night sky floating above endless snowed fields. Not much information is known about it yet but_ it's there _. Have you heard of those places? I wasn't keeping track of the books the Volunteers have been providing Paradis. You probably have read about them long ago and I'm wasting both our times here..._

 _Well, I wonder how it would..._ feel _to see those places in person._

 _But we cannot enjoy any of that, can we? Not unless we're_ free _. And unless we defeat all our enemies, we cannot be free._

_Do you still want it? Do you still dream of seeing all those places with me?_

_I am not writing all this to affect your opinion as to whether the Survey Corps should assist me on the Liberio operation or not - I have made my decision long ago and I'll go through with this whatever Paradis' choice might be. Or maybe that's exactly why I'm writing? I don't know. I have no idea. Those drugs they keep feeding me to..._ treat _me are making me kind of delirious for hours on end but it's best to allow them to actually take effect from time to time or I'm risking blowing my cover. I'll probably regret sending this. No matter._

_I still want it. I want us to go back to the ocean; but this time there's no enemy threatening to devour us before or beyond it. I want to know that feeling. I want to experience the ocean like it's the first time._

_And then, you can have all the books you want, all the books in the world are yours, we can explore the world as much as you want, the whole world is yours._

_I want freedom._

_But unless we win, we cannot be free. Unless we fight, we cannot win. I know you understand._

_Take care of Mikasa._

_Until we meet again,_

_Eren._

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Uyuni and the Aurora exist in the SnK universe, because I said so. Yes, the dry lake's name is not Uyuni but I'm naming it simply Uyuni here because it's easier. Yes, I don't know what this fic even is either... Please don't pay too much attention on the details here. XD 
> 
> Anyway, Happy New Year!


End file.
